The invention relates to a method of building animation data files, the data files structure, the transfer of data from such files for the purposes of interactive delivery of animation data to an end user, and the efficient display thereof to an end user, over a network, particularly global computer networks connected by common protocols, such as the Internet.
For purposes of this disclosure, by the term xe2x80x9cnetworkxe2x80x9d is meant include at least two computers connected through a physical communication line which can be hardwired, or virtual, such as satellite, cellular or other wireless communications. Computer can mean a personal computer, server or other similar-type device capable of receiving, transmitting, and/or manipulating data for such purposes as, but not limited to, display on a display unit connected thereto.
Today such animation transmissions and displays are inefficient due to insufficient bandwidth capacity. The data transfer rates necessary for multimedia applications are measured in the range of tens to hundreds of kilobytes per second, whereas the average data transfer lines in such networks, for an end user having a typical analog modem, can only handle a few kilobytes per second (less than 5). Thus, interactive transmission and display of multimedia applications, such as animation, is almost impossible because of the physical limitations of existing wiring when considering present-day modem compression techniques.
One solution to this problem of insufficient bandwidth is for the user simply to sit and wait for a sufficient amount of information to have been delivered to begin the animation display with confidence so that it can be completed without running out of information in mid-display.
Another solution is to redesign either the sequence the content of the animation data or both so that the data delivery is either slower or less rich. For example, a display of merely ornamental graphics could be delayed or removed to make room for the earlier delivery of more strategic information. Alternatively, a media object may be degraded (e.g. sampling rate reduced) to make the object less data-rich.
A yet further solution is to pre-load information in advance of its being needed by the animation script. This solution may be enabled using excess bandwidth in early parts of a particular script. This may be done on an individual script basis, alternatively, when the system knows specifically that a later script will be played, information for that later script may be pre-loaded on the user""s terminal device using excess bandwidth during an earlier script.
Whichever solution is chosen, it would be highly advantageous to have a computer tool that enables delivery of information to be scheduled so as to optimize available bandwidth, while still enabling the playing of a multimedia script with minimal startup delay and no interruptions. Using this tool, the system designer would be able to orchestrate animation scripts linked to an optimum delivery schedule of underlying media objects. When insufficient bandwidth is available for an instantaneous playback, the designer would further be able to make choices among the alternatives described above, such as delaying startup, redesigning script sequence and/or content, or pre-loading information, so as to make full and best use of available bandwidth.
There have already been proposed a certain solution in attempt to overcome these deficiencies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,218 refers to a mechanism for defining a complex structure such as a human being by a skeleton structure, compressing, restoring and transmitting/receiving the reference position of a specified skeleton and the motion information of each joint position of the skeleton. This solution is limited to transferring animation display of rigid bodies based upon a skeleton structure, thus the animation display is mechanical and unrealistic.
It is thus a prime object of the invention to avoid at least some of the limitations of the prior art and to provide a system, data format, and method of conveying and operating on data over a network to enable efficient 3D motion play, including display, particularly of elastic 3D images motion.
A system and method for of transferring 3D image motion through a communication network comprising the steps of: configuring a virtual model to represent the 3D image structure and to simulate the 3D image motion, wherein the structure components positions and movements are programmed according to behavioral rules, capturing time based 2D data sets representing specific partial Key Fragments of the 3D image, transferring the virtual model through the network, transferring sequential sets of the said Key Fragments of each 2D data set through the network, creating visual 3D image display according to the transferred virtual model, relating the transferred Key Fragments to the respective components of the said model structure, determining the respective components positions according to the related Key Fragments, and applying the behavioral rules of the virtual model regarding all structure components to determine their new positions according to the said position of the respective Key Fragments.